Smokehouse



J. A. JULIAN May 2, 1950 SMOKEHOUSE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1945 May 2, 1950 Filed March 19, 1945 J. A. JULIAN SMOKEHOUSE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Smm www

WWI/"W Z/Z/ E Ww INVENTOR.

May 2, 1950 J. A. JULIAN sMoKEHoUsE Filed March 19, 1945 IN V EN T 0R.

Patented May 2, 1950 SMOKEHOUSE John A. Julian, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Oscar Mayer & Co., inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation oi Illinois Application March 19, 1945, Serial N0. 583,417

Claims.

This invention has to do with smoke houses of the type in which meat products such as sausages, hams, bacon and the like are treated, and is par ticularly concerned with the circulation of the smoke in such houses.

The object of the invention is to provide, in a smoke house of the type described, improved smoke circulation, by means of which the contents undergoing treatment will be uniformly smoked.

The invention resides in the means provided for eiecting and controlling the circulation, and also in the method employed.

While the foregoing statements are indicative in a general way of the nature of the invention, other more specic objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the circulation involved.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is presented herein by way of exemplification, but it will of course be appreciated that the invention is susceptible of incorporation in other modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a smoke house which embodies the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the house;

l Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through one of the two pipes used in feeding the hot air and smoke into the house, showing the control valve in that pipe;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the two pipes used for that purpose, showing the control valves in both pipes;

Fig. 5 is a somewhat schematic vertical transverse section through the house, with arrows showing the circulation of the hot air and smoke in one position of the control valves;

Fig. 6 is a similar View, with the arrows show ing the circulation in a different position of the control valves;

Fig` 7 is a similar view, with the arrows showing the circulation in a still different position of the control valves;

Fig. 8 is another vertical transverse section through the house, on a somewhat larger scale; and

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertica1 section through the house.

In the drawings a smoke house ID of generally rectangular form is shown. This house is provided with spaced parallel side walls II and l2, a, rear wall I3, a roof I4, and outwardly opening doors I5, which doors are located lat the front end of the house. Two tracks I6 and I'I lead into the house through the open front end of the latter and are supported in spaced parallel relation to each other midway between the center of the house and the side walls II and I 2 by beams I8 and hangers I@ and 20 located above and below the beams.

The meat products to be smoked-for example, ordinary link type sausages 2I-are suspended from smoke sticks 22 mounted in open-work cages 23, and the cages 23 are in turn suspended from trolleys 2t, which trolleys are swiveled to the cages and are adapted to be moved along the tracks into and out of the house. The house shown has a capacity of six cages, but it can of course be constructed to accommodate a larger or smaller number of cages. The cages, are adapted to be spaced apart at regular intervals throughout the interior of the house during the smoking operation.

rlhe mixture of hot air and smoke used in treating the meat products enters the house I il through two horizontally extending ducts 25 and 26. These ducts extend lengthwise of the house, immediately beneath the roof l 4, in spaced parallel relation to each other, with the duct 25 adjacent the side wall l I and the duct 25 adjacent the side wall I2. The ducts 25 and 25 are preferably of progressively reduced diameter in the direction of flow, which direction is toward the rear wall I3, and are closed off at their far ends. Throughout their lengths the ducts 25 and 25 are provided with downwardly directed nozzles 21.

The mixture of hot air and smoke which enters the house through the nozzles 21 leaves the house by way oi a horizontally extending discharge duct 28, through openings 29 provided in the same. The duct 28 is located immediately beneath the roof Iii, midway between the ducts 25 and 2t, in spaced parallel relation to the latter. The effective size of the openings 29 in the duct 28 can be regulated by means of a longitudinally shiftable plate Sil, which plate overlies the openings 2S and is provided with openings -SI in either partial or complete registration therewith. The tracks I6 and Il' from which the cages 23 are suspended, are located midway between the center exhaust duct 218 and the side feed ducts 25 and 2li.

The mixture of hot air and smoke used in the operation of the house is circulated at any desired velocity by a motor driven fan (not shown) which is located in a casing 32 at one side of the house. From the casing 32 the air passes upwardly through a pipe 33 to a heater (not shown) which is enclosed within an enlarged portion 3a of the pipe. From the heater the then heated air continues through the pipe 33 to two branch pipes 35 and 36, which branch pipes are arranged alongside each other and are initially separated by a partition 3l (see Figs. 3 and 4). The branch pipe 135 connects with the larger end of the feed duct 25, while the branch pipe 36, which is relatively short, connects with the larger end Yof the 'feed duct 216.

The smoke which is mixed with the hot air is generated in a smoke pot 38 and is led into the hot air system through a pipe 39. The mixture of hot air and smoke which is drawn into the discharge duct 28 by the suction'o they-fan, leaves the house through a pipe 4D Vwhichi's connected with the duct 28. The pipe 40 returns the mixture to the suction side of the fanin-the casing 32, for recirculation. A vent 4l in the roof of the house allows a certain proportion of the circulating mixture to escape continually from the system, whereby to carry off excess entrained moisture and also-maintain the system at any desired pressure. An inlet t2 in the return pipe 40 'at the same'time allows a corresponding amount of fresh air to enterthe system.

The circulation of the mixture of hot air and smoke about the meat products is effected and controlled in a unique and highly Vadv'antageous manner. At the point where the pipe 33 opens into the branch pipes 35 and 36 the latter vare provided with butterfly valves 43 and 44 (see Figs. Sland 4) rIhe valves 43 and lill are secured to a common spindle 45, at opposite sides of the pai'- -tition 3'1, andatright angles to eachother, with size than Vthe pipes l35 and A36 in Which they are mounted, `'with the result that the flow is never completely shut oi in either ofthe pipes, even when the `valve in that pipe is in its closed posiL tion.

When the spindle d5 on which the valves 4 3 and ed are mounted is in the position shown in Fig. 3 the ymixture of hot air 'and smoke will be directed downwardlyjfrom vthe spaced side ducts and 2 6 toward the floor, will converge generally beneath the cages 23, and will rise lmore or less centrally through those portionsof the cages 23 Vwhich are closest to the center of the house, as illustrated by the arrows invFig. 6, leaving the house through the 'centrally arranged discharge duct `28.

As the spindle E graduallyturns, one of the valves, for example the valve 43, will open to its full extent and the valve lill will close. As this occurs thevolumeof hot air and smoke entering through lthe duct 25 will increase and the volume entering through the duct 26 will decrease, causing the colui-nn of hot vair and smoke rising through the meat products to rmove laterally 'toward the side wall l2, as illustrated by the arrows iii-Fig. '7. And as the spindle `t5 'continues to turn, the rising column will Ytravel back to the center again and then to the opposite side, continuing to move back and forth crosswise of the house in such manner as to subject all of the ineat products uniformly to the action of the hot air v'and smoke.

The frequency f the above desibed cycle may lbe-i'ncreas'ed oi' decreased, Aitsy desired. The

tion of smoke.

I claim:

l. In an enclosure in which products are adapt- -ed to be positioned for treatment, inlet and outlet ports through each of which heated fluid is adapted to flow in but one direction, one of said ports being divided into two spaced sections, flow control devices-associated with said'sectio'ns, and means connected with said devices for alternatelyincreasing and decreasing the rate 'of-flow through one of said sections'while at the same v time alternately decreasing and increasing the rate of lhow through Ythe other ofrsaid sections, whereby 'to cause the main currents between the ports to shift back and forth between said spaced sections without changing theirgeheral direction of flow.

2. In a `smoke house Vin which products rare adapted to be positioned for treatment, two spaced inlets from which a mixture of vhot-airand smoke is 'adapted to Abe delivered into the house, an outlet through which the mixture is adapted to leave the house, flow controldevices associated with said inlets, and means connected with said devices A.for alternately increasing and decreasing the lrate of 'flow fromone of the inlets while iat the same time alternatelydecreasing and increasing the rate of `flow from the other -inlet,whereby to cause the main currents of the mixture and accompanying turbulences `between the inlets and the outlet to shift back and forth without changing their general direction of flow.

3. In a smoke vhouse in which products rare adapted to be positioned for treatment, Atwo spaced feed ducts from which a Vmixture of Yhot air and smoke isfad'apted to be delivered into the house, a discharge'ductthrough which the mixtureis adapted to-leave the house, said discharge duct being located between the two 'feed ducts, iiow control devices associated with said Afeed ducts, and lmeans connected with said devices for alternately increasingandV decreasing the rate of yflow from one of the feedducts while at the same time alternatelydecreasing and increasing the-rate of iiow from the `other feed duct, whereby to cause the maincurrents of the mixture and accompanying turbulences between the feed ducts and the vdischarge duct -to shift back and forth first toward one of the feed ducts and then toward the other without changing their general directionrvqflow. y Y A 4. In a smoke house in which products are adapted to be positioned for treatment, two spaced feed ducts from which a mixture of hot air and smoke is adapted to be delivered into 'the house, said feed ducts being located -along opposite sides of the house'aojacen't the top of the latter and being provided with longitudinally extending lrows of Vdownwardl'y'f directed nzizlesja discharge duct through `vvhich'the mixture is adapted to' leave the house,'sai'd discharge lduct being located adjacent `the topvof 'the housem'iclway between the feed ducts andbei'ng provided withk a Vlongitudi nelly extending row of openings in the under side thereof, flow control devices associated with said feed ducts and means connected with said devices for alternately increasing and decreasing the rate of ow from the nozzles in one of the feed ducts while at the same time alternately decreasing' and increasing the rate of flow from the nozzles in the other feed duct, whereby to cause the main upwardly rising currents formed by the convergence of the flows from the nozzles oi both feed ducts to shift back and forth beneath the discharge duct, rst in the general vicinity of one of the feed ducts and then in the general vicinity of the other.

5. In an enclosure in which products are adapted to be positioned for treatment, inlet and outlet ports in communication with the enclosure, means for causing heated uid to flow continuously through each of said ports in but one direction, one of said ports being divided into two spaced sections, which sections are located at opposite sides of said other port in spaced relation to the latter, means for causing heated uid to flow between said sections and said other port to generally U-shaped partially concurrent paths, with the concurrent portions of said paths passing through the zone adapted to be occupied by the products undergoing treatment, ow control devices associated with said sections, and means connected with said devices for alternately increasing and decreasing the rate of ow through 6 one o1' said sections while at the same time de creasing and increasing in opposite phase the rate of ow through the other of said sections, whereby to cause the concurrent portions of said flows between the ports to shift back and forth between said spaced sections without changing their general direction of movement, first approaching one non-concurrent portion and then the other in traversing said zone.

JOHN A. JULIAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date.

121,925 Bell Dec. 19, 1871 1,621,594 Mahoney Mar. 22, 1927 2,074,945 Skvor Mar. 23, 1937 2,096,373 Doherty Oct. 19, 1937 2,246,804 Lipschutz June 24, 1941 2,281,269 Costello Apr. 28, 1942 2,310,222 Deverall Feb, 9, 1943 2,352,590 Trinkle June 27, 1944 2,380,428 Gilliam July 31, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 303,591 Great Britain Jan. 10, 1929 

